Chasing Time
by beneath the lies
Summary: He looked like a fine gentleman. He didn't behave like one, though. Too bad I only found that out when I successfully became his "next target". Worse of all, he always get what he wants... Noncest, Len/Rin, based on Spice!
1. Infatuation and Leeks!

**A/N: **My first fanfic! Trying to be as creative as possible. Vocaloid can't be out of character, right? I think this fic is partly based on SPICE! I made tons of changes here and there, though, so it wouldn't exactly be following the PV. Note I underlined the word "Tons". You'll get to know why... soon.

This is **not** incest. There is no incest.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the great Vocaloid because if I really did, something reeeaally bad would happen, and trust me, you do not wish to know!

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Chasing Time

Chapter 1: Infatuation and leeks?

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Today was the day I had been looking forward to. I almost danced when I heard that my neighbor was moving out… and someone new was moving in. That sounded kind of cruel, but you absolutely cannot believe how much I hated my current neighbor- he was just freaking annoying with that loud mouth of his, talking and babbling about irrelevant things when he knew I wasn't listening. You know what a machine gun is, right? You can use that to compare it with the speed of his mouth.

I rubbed my eyes several times and tried to at least focus on my dumb homework. Well, I wasn't planning on finishing it anyway. I was too tired to even concentrate, for heaven's sake! I sometimes wonder why the teacher even bothers to give us homework when he knows himself we would not finish it. Well, some would, but not me. I don't care.

I scribbled my name harshly on the piece of assignment and grumbled softly before throwing it aside. Time to sleep, maybe… It was still kind of early, but I just feel like sleeping right away, you know. This wouldn't be my first time sleeping through the day, anyway.

'_Beep, beep, beep'…_

I shot my cell phone a glare and briefly tried to think of ways to murder the person who had unconsciously interrupted my beauty sleep. Great job, whoever you are. Now I have to think of ways to hide your body… With a groan, I got off my bed and sauntered over to where the table was, grabbing my stupid cell phone and almost crushing it into bits.

My eyes scanned through its content before I smashed the button to "View the message", muttering something inaudible in the process. I was kind of lucky I lived alone… right here. I would die if I didn't because I was famous for abusing English Language.

_Rin~ How's your new neighbor? Seen em' yet? How do they look like? –Miku_

I should have guessed anyway… Miku lived near me- she was just a few blocks away from me. She could come any time she wanted, and since my parents were almost never home, no one could stop her from staying overnight in my house almost everyday. We had lots of fun together, and she was no doubt the 'One I could count on in times of trouble'.

I haven't really gotten to know my neighbor yet, anyway. No traces of them yet. As much as I wanted to see them, I couldn't.

_Haven't seen them yet. You wanna come over to wait with me? I'm bored anyways. :-D LOL. –Rin_

I ruffled my hair before sending the message over to Miku. I sat on the chair behind my computer on the table and switched it on, rolling my eyes when my cell phone let out a 'beep' indicating that I had gotten a reply. She was really fast at messaging, I'd admit…

_Not today, yeah. I got some leeks bought from the market, and I want to eat them up right now. Can't resist the urge to eat em', you know? Hehe. XD –Miku_

I almost choked myself to death when I saw the word 'Leek'. Miku has an obsession with leeks, just so you know. She told me she liked them because of "how they looked like green, cute and deformed... _things_". For your information, I used to love leeks for its vibrant colors until the day Miku told me that after shoving about twenty of those... things inside my mouth. Since then, I've always hated leeks because of that sentence and the... overwhelming taste, should I say... that has had me mentally scarred for life.

_OK. I don't even wanna know how much you bought… Well, I'll see you in school tomorrow, then, huh? –Rin_

I sighed and laid my head on the hard and cool surface of the table. What to do at this time… What to do when you have nothing to do…

Then I heard it almost immediately. There was the sound of footsteps outside, and a bunch of mumblings, followed by the sound of heavy objects being dragged across the road. You know the sound of nails against a chalkboard? Yes, that. Horrible sound it was… Maybe it was my neighbor moving the stuff into their apartment or something?

I rushed outside, not bothering to change out of my pajamas and looked out of the door for any signs of a human being. There was none, and I frowned in disappointment, biting my lips in annoyance.

I was about to really turn around and forget about the stupid neighbor due to my impatience, but I saw something- or rather, someone that caught my attention. It was fast, but I caught sight of him. Blonde hair, slightly tanned skin… That was what I saw before he slipped past me, towards the entrance of his apartment.

Whatever. I figured I had to be dreaming or something. I thought he looked like me; but I had to be hallucinating. Stupid drowsiness kicking in after all the assignments and tasks… Argh.

Not much of a deal anyway. I would have to see my neighbor sooner or later, so…

There was the shuffling of footsteps before it stopped right in front of me.

I stopped what I was planning on doing, and stared.

I found myself attracted and totally mesmerized by a pair of sapphire deep orbs gazing straight at me. I couldn't take my eyes off him, and I didn't know why! The corner of his lips was sort of curled up into a grin of some sort. H-he was wearing some dark blue tee with a black tie on it, and a pair of white shorts reaching his knees. He looked like a girl with that blond hair of his tied up in a high ponytail. I didn't find myself attracted to his choice of clothing or hairstyle, but I was attracted to… t-to him.

Everything about him was so unique… I didn't know what I was saying, but it was true. I had never met a teen that had managed to leave an impression like this onto me. It was like love at first sight, you know? I think I was infatuated with him.

I didn't realize how long I had been staring at him until I heard someone shouting at me.

"Hey… You alright or something?" It took me a moment to register what he had said. Not only were his looks heavenly, but also his voice… it was angelic.

"Uhh… Yeah… Y-yeah…" I stuttered and felt a blush creep up into my cheeks. Why was my heart pounding so quickly? Oh, please don't tell me I managed to fall in love with a stranger within what, five minutes? Less than that? This was definitely going into 'Rin's genuine records'.

"What's your name?" He asked me, and I was too shocked to even open up my mouth to speak. I opened and closed my mouth repeatedly like a fish and looked down in shame when he burst into laughter.

"My name is Len. Kagamine Len. Pleasure meeting you." He took my hand and shook it lightly, causing my blush to deepen. I looked away, unable to find myself drowning into his pair of luminous eyes.

"I-I… I-…" Crap. I didn't even know how to say my own name!

"It's alright. I'll be going, then, I guess? You know, I got to arrange my stuff and all… Guess we'll be seeing each other rather often, then?" Len let off a soft chuckle before releasing my hand, watching as my hand went limp by my sides.

I heard him whispering to himself… Something amongst the lines of "only the first day and she's all like this", and I swore I could have seen him winking and smirking at me before walking back into his new apartment.

Maybe it was just my imagination…

Yeah… It _had_ to be my imagination.

* * *

I wonder what I would tell Miku tomorrow? "Oh, I met him, you know. He's so cute and I fell in love with him! Hard to believe, but true!" or maybe "He's so cute you'll dig your eyes out just to see him!" I'd pick option one, since option two didn't sound so attractive to me. I'm thinking if Miku would like him. He seemed to be a nice gentleman, so I don't think that would be a problem and all. How old was he, anyway? He looked kind of young, maybe around my age, so I estimated him to be around ten to twenty.

"Rin! Are you in there, buddy?" I tilted my head such that I could see who was at the door. Miku stood there, waving at me with one of her... leeks. Wait, why was she here, anyway? I thought she was supposed to be eating and munching up leeks?

"Hurry up and get your ass here! Open the gate, the gate!" I mumbled something in annoyance and jumped off the couch, sauntering towards the direction of my guest. I plunged the key into the keyhole violently, almost as if I wanted to smash through it, and swung the gate open. Miku immediately made a dash towards the couch and sat on it.

"Well, you told me you wouldn't be coming, so I didn't prepare anything. Thanks for the sudden visit. Thanks a lot." I grumbled with sarcasm dripping at every word I said after locking the gate. Seriously, I was hoping for her to come. Now that she did come, I felt like I wasn't in the mood for anymore chit chats.

"Hello? This wouldn't be the first time I'm popping by your house, anyway! Why so mad?" She grabbed the television remote controller resting on the armrest of the couch and proceeded to surf through all the wide varieties of channels available. "Besides... I just wanted to see if the neighbor's here, you know... Wouldn't hurt to make a few friends. The previous kid living beside you was fun to begin with, and it was such a loss he had to move." I rolled my eyes at what she said about the "kid being nice". Her definition of nice was very very different from mine.

"I just find it funny that you'd come all the way here just to see a new neighbor of mine." I made my way towards her and sat down on a stool nearby, staring at her.

She stopped when she reached a channel on... how to prepare leek soup. I made a face and turned around to stare inside my room. My room was positioned in a way that it could be viewed when you sat on the couch or anywhere near the couch. It was painted in yellow, so it was also quite the attention-seeker. Man, I wished I could just step in there and transform my room into some sort of a gaming console. I had all sorts of games, but I had also completed every single one of them. I needed new ones, yes, but I haven't got the money to buy them. Maybe if my parents come back for dinner some time next week I could ask politely...

I'd always stare at the funny looking window in my room when I had nothing better to do. It was better than staring at the pile of homework your teachers gave you to do.

"Rin? Looks like somebody's outside." I turned to look at Miku with a puzzled look. "No, not me. The gate, silly!"

Oh, yeah... The gate. Who could it be, then? Please please please don't let it be Neru or Meiko. I'd die if they came into my apartment!

Blond hair, slightly tanned skin guy. Why did he look so familiar? He had his back facing towards me, but I could tell I had seen him somewhere before. Where? "Uhhh, hello? Who might you be looking for?" I boldly asked.

He turned around to face me with a cheeky grin like that of a Cheshire Cat's, folding his arms like a man demanding for something. "I haven't got your name yet. I was wondering _when _you were deciding to give me the honor to know your name."

L-Len!

"U-umm, s-sorry for j-just n-now... Y-you can call me R-Rin, and d-do you w-wanna come in t-to -" I stopped halfway when I heard Miku _growl_ at him. That was Miku for you - a little too overprotective of her friends, perhaps? Well, at least I know that she genuinely cares for me, unlike some backstabbers in our group of friends like that stupid -

"Get _out. _Get **away**! What on Earth are _you _doing here, huh? Why would you want to know her name? What is _wrong _with you?! She didn't say it, and you have no rights to demand for her name like **that**!" My jaw dropped - was th-that really Miku?! I have never ever seen her this angry before. Tons of things happened, but she had never yelled like that before.

Len was equally pissed, I could tell, even though he was trying to hide it. Seriously, what was wrong with Miku?! He was just an innocent guy wanting my name! "I live next door, _Ma'am. _I thought I'd get to know my neighbor better if I got to know her name."

"She's my friend! Leave," Miku hissed ferociously, but widened her eyes when Len just remained standing at where he was. "I told you to leave! And don't touch her, or even talk to her ever again! You won't hurt anyone this time!"

Why was Miku acting as if... As if she knew him from the start?

"I think you might have mistaken me for someone else, _Ma'am. _In any case," Len spoke confidently with a wry smile, looking as calm as he could be before continuing, "... I don't think I should let you affect me. I'm sorry, but I really don't know why you think of me like that. If it is my attire you are -"

"Leave. Right. Now." Wow, it seemed like I didn't own this house anymore. I didn't even h-have the damn courage I needed to stop this conflict before it got any worse. I think I was afraid of Miku... She looked pretty scary with that death glare of hers. Even I couldn't have managed that glare.

"... I'm sorry?" Len questioned, tilting his head to the side innocently.

"SHUT UP AND LEAVE NOW OR ELSE I'LL GET THE HELL OUT AND KICK YOU DOWN THE STAIRS LIKE-" This has _got _to stop. Right now.

"ENOUGH!" I was standing up with my teeth clenched tightly, my face red with anger. "I don't know what the problem is with him having my name, and I don't think I care! I don't think my name is poisonous and I sure don't think my name is contagious! He has every right to know my name, Miku."

I turned to face Len with a nervous grin, hoping to settle the matter right now. "I'm sorry."

"... I should be the one apologizing, I guess. Glad you're understanding, Rin. Well, I'm going to go now, I guess. I wouldn't want to cause anymore trouble for you here..." He eyed Miku and frowned, slowly walked back into his apartment. I made sure he was completely gone before glaring at Miku.

"Rin, you don't know shit about him. He's not a good person."

"That's right; I don't know shit about him. Maybe that's the reason why I can't stand you flaming at him like that. Look, I don't know what the hell got into you, but I'm almost sure he had nothing to do with all of it! All he wanted was just a name and I -"

"You think this is all because of _your name_?! You think... You think everything started because of your name?!"

"Why else would you be so mad at him? You snapped at him when he asked for my name. Isn't it obvious?" Miku was getting me confused.

"Well, I'll tell you it's not! He's not a good person! You... Are you being fooled by his looks, too? Why? Is it because he's too much of a pretty boy for you to pass up? You can't judge people by their looks, Rin! I can tell you- no, I can assure you he's not a good one, even-"

"It's not."

"... if he is a pretty guy like that. He isn't what you imagine him to be, like-" She ignored me and continued with her sentence.

"It's _not._"

"Listen to me, Rin. I know him more than anyone else. Kagamine Len, right? He's using his looks to trick you. Look, you are already defending him like this-"

"IT'S NOT!"

"Fine! Say what you want! I don't care anymore! Do whatever you want!" Miku was clearly getting annoyed at me now. Come to think of it, we've been friends for so many years and this is the first time we have ever quarreled like this. I didn't want to lose her, though, and that was probably why I tried to avoid all sorts of conflicts with her the past few years.

But this...

There was an awkward silence between the both of us. I never felt comfortable with silence. I didn't like silence, because it made me feel insecure and... lonely.

I pouted my lips and snorted, urging myself to cool down. "Miku, Snap out of it. He's a nice guy, you shouldn't be saying incorrect things about him like that. Come on. Wanna have some chips to go with some coke? That would cool you down." I offered briefly, hoping that she would at least accept my offer and change the topic to something else. "Maybe some leeks to go with them? I can cook, you know."

"Rin..." She groaned, slapping her forehead and making her way towards me until she was towering over me. "Was he spying on you? Has he been spying on you, Rin?!"

I didn't feel good anymore. My mood was starting to change into something dark. It wasn't anger, but it was a balance between that and confusion. "No, he wasn't, and he never will. Will you stop acting like this, Miku? You don't make any sense at all."

There was a few minutes of silence between us before she eventually spoke. I had a really bad feeling about this...

"… I'll be off. I have some homework to complete." Miku snatched the silver glittering key from the basket sitting on the floor and walked towards the door. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Rin… Don't be late for school."

We both knew it was a lie. She was angry with me for refusing to believe her. We all make mistakes, right? Nobody is perfect in life. I guess humans are all extremely stubborn creatures, huh? We don't grow without mistakes, I guess.

"I... I don't want a second 'me', Rin..." I didn't turn around to see if she was gone.

I only turned around to look when I heard the door slam shut.

_

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_

_'Beep, beep, beep'…_

What was that…? I flipped myself over the bed and groaned.

'_Beep, beep, beep'…_

What in the world? Messages? Yeah… That sound had to be it… Messages… W-wait a minute, what time was it now? … Two a.m.?

Oh… I fell asleep just now. It sounded stupid, but I really did. I was too tired to think about anything or to do anything, so I went sleeping. Not a bad thing anyway, seeing that I really had nothing to do at all.

Huh? Hmmm… Miku should be asleep right now. Who would be messaging me this late at night? I grabbed my cell phone and flipped it open, not bothering to sit myself up on the bed. My silky blond locks were in a mess, but I wouldn't really care anyway. Nobody's here to watch you, right? Appearance does not matter. Not for me.

It took me a while to be able to read whatever was written in the message, though my eyes did hurt…

"Two messages received, huh? Wonder who it might be?" I stated, reading the contents out from the first message by 'Meiko'. I should have known she was the only one who had the tendency to send me messages when she knew I was fast asleep in bed!

_Send this message to ten people for a month's worth of sake delivered to your doorstep! The more you send, the more you get! Sit back and drink all you want, and worship the drunken lord of –_

Holy cow. Who on Earth would believe these stupid chain mails?! I mean, come on… FREE? You have got to be kidding! I didn't want to read on, just because it was some freaking dumb drunken message. Argh. Now on to the next message…

… An anonymous sender sent it. I guess I was getting kind of popular, huh? To think that I would be able to make a name for myself…

_Hello, cutie. We didn't talk much, but I guess we'll be seeing each other in school tomorrow?_

No name. No class. Nothing. How in the world was I to know whom the sender was? Was this a ploy? Pranksters nowadays…

Wait a minute! 'Cutie'? That was stupid. The only people who have called me that would be Miku and Meiko, when she was drunk. I don't think the message was from Miku, because she'd always leave her name behind when she messaged me. I did the same too, since I kind of picked that up from her. Meiko was kind of impossible, since the only time I ever managed to receive a decent message from her was when I was down with flu, and this was what she sent me:

_Drink ^ sum gud sake tuh recover, tomaaatoooooo~ Gonna luv it lyk u haf nv ever done be4!_

This was decent enough. Especially when it came from her, you know. It took me a few minutes to find out what she meant by 'tomaaatoooooo' and the rest of the sentence, but whatever. I never wanted to receive messages from her again. Time to reply to that anonymous message, anyway.

_Who in the world are you, huh? Speak, or I'm running you over with my road roller! -Rin_

This was dumb, like I was revealing myself to the enemy. The road roller was my number one ally, if you guys didn't know. It comes to my help frequently when I get into trouble. I don't know why, but when I mention the "Road Roller" to anyone else in class, they'd laugh their heads off. Maybe they didn't believe I had one?

'Beep, beep, beep'…

Seriously…

_You'll know tomorrow. I kind of liked you since we met each other, you know… Just like how you liked me. We could hit it off quite well, wouldn't you say? Well, I'll see you tomorrow in school. _

_P/S: Don't dream of me that often. Don't stare at me like I'm a nutcase or something. I'm real, yes I am.  
_

My eyes were bulging with anger at every word I saw popping out from that stupid cell phone. Who in the world was that?! Messaging me like that, not even telling me who the heck she or he was! Wait a minute… It could be Neru, trying to confuse me with her stupid lame tactics again!

How did that sender find out about my number anyway? Everything… In school tomorrow, huh?

'Don't dream of me that often'… Somehow, I managed to not think about that stupid anonymous sender as I drifted into dreamland with my hands clutching tightly onto the cell phone.

I was too busy thinking about my new neighbor.

I was too busy thinking about his eyes to remember anything.

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NOTE: Don't worry cause Len will be a good guy. You'll see...

Sigre is included in this fic, for your information. In a crazily soon to be fluff-filled fic like this you might think it is impossible. But I'm sureee it will work out. Well, I'll try to fit everything in one by one and reveal everything slowly…

I'll include angst. I myself am sort of a huge angst lover so… :-D You get the point. But not right now. Not right at the introduction (This chapter) of course.

**Insane Hex**: Yay! I hope it wasn't bad… You can guess who the sender of the message was, but it should be pretty obvious. XD

**Dotty**: You made it obvious! BTW, sorry for the crappy grammar and vocabulary. The authoress has language problems. Severe language problems! Right, Paper?

**Paper**: Uh huh. She also has some characterization problems. She doesn't know how to present characters in their correct personality. In short, she's messing with their personalities, leading to random Ooc-ness. She hopes you guys will forgive her.

**Insane Hex**: This is dumb. Why is the authoress talking to herself?

**Paper: **-Shrugs- Leave her alone, spoilsport… Uhh, review? It makes Mrs. Authoress happy ^^". –Hands a paper and pen to the readers- Review, guys! Review review!

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Chapter 2: Two Sides Of A Coin

"I have never hated somebody this much before. Should I be happy that he has set his eyes on me, or should I cower in fear? I should have listened to her in the first place. That way, I wouldn't be here… right now. In any case, I won't let him intimidate me!"

What you see may not be what you think it is.

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Till' next time I guess!


	2. Two sides of a coin

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Vocaloid, but I won't mind if anyone decides to give it to me…

**Warning:** Contains language not suitable for the young!

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Chasing Time

Chapter 2: Two Sides Of A Coin

Written in Len's POV

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I glanced at the huge clock on the side of the wall in my room, shaking my head as I began to roughly think of the events that occurred yesterday. It had been a close call and a test of endurance to see how long I could put up with that girl who was damaging my reputation. It was unbearable for me to just stand there and get insulted like that, but I did manage to do so. Usually I would say something in my defense or maybe try intimating the foe with slightly unusual tactics…

Who was that girl with the aqua pigtails again? I could remember her vaguely but not completely. Since she seemed to hate me a lot, I'd assume that she was one of the girls I had a fling with last time. Perhaps I would talk to her again later on, in school, just for the purpose of annoying her and seeing that look on her face. Call me weird, but I'm just like that.

"Thirty minutes more to go, huh…" A frown made its way to my face, and I raised my hand to ruffle my hair for a moment as a way to wake myself up. I had school, didn't I? A chuckle escaped from my lips as I thought of the many ways I could have fun with the Rin girl. "Wonder if she got the message? Well, I was planning on asking her out today anyway."

I stood up and grabbed my bag lying carelessly on the floor, making my way out of the apartment hastily. It was better to leave for school now since I was already prepared and all, and I didn't want to risk falling asleep due to boredom. Waking up to see nobody beside me sure felt strange… and horrible. I'd have to make sure that I would wake up with somebody beside me the next time I slept.

Somebody… like that Rin girl…

I stopped frozen in my tracks, and eyed the lone door in front of me. It creaked open, giving me a chance to stare at whatever was inside. A patch of darkness? There were no signs of anybody in the apartment, so Rin had to be asleep.

A walk to the school would take about fifteen minutes. If she doesn't try and at least get her bum out of the bed, she would be late for lessons. Should I wake her up right now? I could, but…

Well, it wasn't my problem. I wouldn't want to be late for school, but I don't know anything about her yet, so I might as well as acted like I didn't know anything. It sounded mean, but yes, this is who I really am.

I would have plenty of chances to wake her up in the morning soon, anyway.

* * *

I peered into the glass in the door and saw the teacher already present in class. He had long purple hair tied up in a ponytail, which gave me the impression that he was a "she" at first. He was wearing something strange – a… shirt, with frills on the side, if you can call it time. He looked as though as he had been cosplaying, though. Luckily for me, his pants were at least normal looking, reaching to the knees of his.

Wonder if people in this school are always this early? I knocked on the door softly and waited for the teacher to assist me. It took him quite a while to realize that somebody was actually outside waiting for him to open this damn door.

"Why, who might you be looking for? The Wonderful Mister Gakupo is at your service." Wow, he even speaks like he was from some alien planet, too. I saw him yawn in front of me, and almost wanted to glare at him, but I refrained myself from doing so.

"I'm supposed to be new in this class… Kagamine Len." My voice sounded rather calm, but my heart and mind was not. I was actually wondering if he even knew he had a new transfer student. He rubbed his chin and took a while to think, looking behind me as if there was something there. Judging from the expression he had on his face now, I don't think he even knew.

"Oh, yes, I remember having a transfer student of some sort! Ah, forgive me… I seem to have forgotten about it! Come in and introduce yourself, quick!" He opened the door widely for me to enter, and slowly slammed it shut after he saw me make my way towards the center of the class.

Wow, there were tons of students here. Unfortunately there didn't seem like there was anyone I knew of, but since some of the girls were whispering in the background and squealing, then I supposed I wouldn't be short of friends soon. I had tons of opportunities to-

There she was! That Hatsune girl looked pretty shocked with her mouth hanging wide open and her eyes bulging out with anger. I could see her lips trembling although I was standing quite far away, to say the least. She was nearly at the back of the class, sitting at the second row from the right.

I tried to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I couldn't resist the urge to present a wry smirk to her, though.

Mr. Gakupo clapped his hands, instantly attracting the attention of several students who weren't quite aware of the fact that I had already been standing here for a few minutes. "We have a transfer student here! Let's welcome him with wide open arms, dearest students!" He smiled nervously at me and leaned closely enough for him to whisper something in my ear. "… Mind introducing yourself, Kagomin Ten?"

What the hell?! Since when did my name change from "Len" to "Ten"?! Didn't I mention my name to him just a few minutes ago?

"Hello, everyone. My name is… _Kagamine Len_," I rolled my eyes when Mr. Gakupo slapped his forehead for messing up my name and continued, "I guess we'll be classmates soon? I hope I have the honor of knowing everyone here… and I hope to be able to get along well with everyone here."

Some of the girls squealed when I threw a wide grin towards them, but Hatsune sure wasn't pleased with what I was doing since I could see her mumbling to herself with an extremely irritated and pissed off look.

"Ahh, okay… Take a seat, Kagamine Len!" I don't really remember him telling me where to sit, or if the seat I was planning to sit at (Next to the one behind Hatsune) was occupied. This guy was really weird for a teacher since I thought all teachers are supposed to be wise-asses.

I walked towards the seat that I had mentioned earlier while throwing a bright smile towards Hatsune. She tensed up and immediately looked away from me, but I couldn't care less. It was fun seeing her act like this.

I was having fun throwing smiles at everyone in class until Rin came. She was huffing and puffing in exhaustion, completely covered in sweat. Mr. Gakupo sighed and gave her the permission to go to her seat.

"Hello." I smirked when she almost jumped at the sight of me. She was pretty interesting, and perhaps much more funny as compared to that Hatsune. "What, you didn't expect to see me here?"

"… N-no. A-ah, you're a transfer s-student, then?" It was funny seeing how she was stuttering due to her nervousness or something.

"Yes, I am. I guess we'll not only be neighbors, but also classmates too?"

"I g-guess… It's pretty convenient now that I think of it… W-we could help each other with homework and stuff… W-wouldn't hurt." She grinned nervously and then turned to take something- oh, a worksheet, from her bag.

"I may need your help with Chemistry. I'm never good at it." I wasn't exactly lying about that. I had perfect scores for everything except that subject. Those chemical equations and such always confuse me. I was going to add on something to my statement, but stopped when Hatsune turned around and glared at me.

"Will you shut up? This is a school for learning for your information, and if you are going to start flirting with everybody then I suggest you transfer into another school! Also, stop bothering Rin, she's trying to listen to what the teacher is trying to say. You may be smart, but please remember that you are nothing but a newbie in this school!"

"Hatsune Miku, please keep your noise level down!" Hatsune blushed and immediately turned around to focus on what the teacher was trying to teach.

I wanted to start copying down whatever Mr. Gakupo was scribbling on the board right now, but something dropped on my table before I could do so. I took it up and examined the paper and its content before scribbling down to write a reply.

_Hi, Kagamine Len, right? Can we be friends?_

_You look really cool! –Neru_

_Sure. We can, I guess. –Len._

I smirked. A 'newbie', huh? Well, not for long, Miku. Not for long.

* * *

It was lunchtime. I didn't know where the cafeteria was until Akita Neru and her group of friends decided to bring me there. She had been all clingy onto me, and honestly I wanted to shout at her and told her off for being so annoying, but I refrained myself from doing so due to the fact that I had to keep a good reputation of myself.

"Wanna sit together?" She asked, but I pretended not to hear her and started looking all over the place for my target.

"Len, do you mind if I-" I walked away after locating where Rin was, ignoring Neru's shouts of protest. She was sitting alone feasting on her sandwiches in that lunchbox she prepared, I assumed.

"Hello, again." I smiled at her, settling down on the chair opposite of her.

"Hello, Len! What are you eating?" She asked, taking a huge bite off that sandwich she was holding onto.

"Nothing. I'm not hungry." I glanced around to see Hatsune nowhere near her. That was funny, since Hatsune Miku seemed to be crazily overprotective of her. Where was she, then? "… Where did Miku go?"

"Errr, well, I guess she haven't really cooled down from that incident yesterday." Shades of pink covered her face. "… I didn't know why she was so upset with you, so I sort of… fought with her. Well, she'll calm down after a while, I g-guess. You looking for her or something?"

"No, I was just wondering where she would go, and why she would leave you alone here. I guess it's all about curiosity." Great, I could finally talk to Rin in peace.

"Well, I… I wanted to apologize for yester-"

"It wasn't your fault. Don't bother blaming yourself, okay?"

"R-right. Thank you for being so understanding. I wished Miku was like you, you know… It doesn't make sense on why she'd do that for nothing. It's just… not "her". Funny, but t-true…" Rin finished nibbling on her sandwich and stared at me with a serious look on her face.

"Maybe we could ask her some time." I chuckled softly to myself. "I want to know the reason badly, too."

Rin stared at the table as if she was thinking of something for a moment. I had almost nothing to say to her, so I decided to remain quiet as I examined her face. She was adorable with the soft locks of blond hair falling on her shoulders. Her lips were so soft, so full, and looked so pink. Her eyes were wide with-

"Len? … Were you the one who had sent me that SMS yesterday?" She suddenly questioned, breaking me of my thoughts.

"SMS? What are you talking about?"

"Oh… It's nothing. It wouldn't be you, anyway… You wouldn't act like that… Besides," she whispered, "… you don't have my number."

Oh… That SMS yesterday. I almost forgot about that. I could strike now, since Miku wasn't here. The sooner I opened my mouth to confess, the better, because it would mean that I would quickly receive my fair share of fun from the girl. Then I could switch my target after that.

"Who says I don't?" I smirked, glancing at her with half-lidded eyes.

"Well, you clearly don't. We've only known each other for two days?" She rubbed her chin as if to think.

"I know some people from this school."

"W-what? B-but that would mean… I-it can't be y-you!" She was blushing and looking pretty shocked. Well, all girls do, actually, when I act like this in front of them, so whatever.

"I have my own methods, you know."

"W-wait. Let me get this straight… Y-you sent me that SMS yesterday? That SMS with the word "cutie" in it? Is that true?" Rin furrowed her brows and tried to look as calm as possible.

"Yes, I did. I sent you that SMS. I have proof of it, and I can read whatever I wrote there. I'm real, yes I am." I was getting slightly annoyed with that same question.

"B-but… It's impossible! Th-that SMS couldn't be sent by you, because I-it was just… different!" She was almost screaming, but I couldn't care less.

"Different? How so? If you put two and two together, you would know it was me. Want me to recite the whole content of the message to you?"

"I-it couldn't b-be! It's just different based on the way you talk, and behave, and-"

"Rin." I stood up and pushed myself forward so that my nose was touching hers, with my elbows supporting my weight on the table. I could feel her hot and shaky breaths, and I could see her face reddening rapidly. "You don't judge people by the way they speak or behave."

This was awfully strange. Whenever I applied this technique to any other women, they would immediately beg me to take them as their girlfriend. They didn't look as shock as Rin did when I told them that it was me who had been behind the SMS, and they certainly did not mind. In fact, it made them happier, and it made my job easier, since I wasn't the type of guy who would take the time to go after a girl only to receive a rejection after that.

"… W-why?" She looked away from me as if I was some sort of monster.

"Why what." My patience was wavering now.

"Why did you send me that message?"

"'We could hit it off well.' You know what I'm trying to say, don't you?"

"… … You want me to…-"

"-Be my girlfriend." I finished the last part of her sentence, and waited for her reply. I remembered this was almost like sixtieth time I had said this line. Besides, nobody seemed to have the heart to reject me when I asked them that question; they all seemed to infatuated with me to even know how to reject me. A winning streak for years, yes, and-

**Slap!**

My eyes widened in shock, confusion and anger as a felt a stinging pain on the left side of my reddened face. Nobody had ever slapped me before. **Nobody. **Not even the girls I had rejected after a while of 'playing' with them had the guts to slap me like this.

"You… You're despicable! What do you think I am? What do you treat me as? Do I look like somebody you could play around with like this?" I turned around to glare at the figure in front of me, and realized that she had already stood up. I moved back to my seat and made my way towards her, in rage.

"I haven't even known you for a week, and you asked me that question! You are no different from _him! _You are no different from _that guy!_" She screamed, anger etched in her face, attracting almost all the attention from the people in the cafeteria. They all turned to look at both of us, but I was too angry to even consider the consequences of what I was about to do.

I grabbed her wrist, hard, and pulled her close to me with my glare still intact. She tried wriggling out of my grasp but I was obviously too strong for her. "Why were you staring at me then?! You were staring at me the first time we met, correct?! That proves that you were infatuated with me! So why are you getting all jumpy because of one fucking message?!"

Rin winced in pain as I tightened my hold onto her, but managed to speak nonetheless. "I won't go out with people who just toy with other's feelings! **I will never do that again**! So what if I had been infatuated with you the first time I met you? That was because I thought you were different from all the guys I knew, since you were so nice to-"

"I _don't care _about nice! It's a fact that you were head over heels with me the first time we met, and that is just what you need! Just accept me and stop being so whiny over how I behave and act!"

"So you're doing this because I rejected you? Is that it? You can't accept a rejection from someone like me?!" Rin glared at me ferociously, but that didn't affect me.

"Yes. I hate being rejected, because I have **never ever **been rejected. I don't see why you should ever have a reason to reject me. Nobody did, so just-"

"So this is just something about your pride."

"So what if it is?" I growled, letting go of her wrist since it was kind of pointless for me to hold on to her.

"I hate people who treats all the women like they are their playthings! I hate guys who toy with other girls! I hate egotistical guys like you, and I hate guys with hidden motives like _you_! Those reasons are enough for me to reject you."

"Not good enough." I growled again, pushing her lightly to the wall behind her and placed my hands on either sides of her, pinning her there.

"I thought you were good. I thought you were a nice guy. Now that I have seen the real you, I decided to change my mind. Somebody who puts their pride above everything, and also somebody who would ask a girl out after two days of knowing them, in my knowledge, is not a good person. You have nothing. No good qualities in you. Nothing good. I can't even find a small reason as to why I should accept you. If you hadn't shown your true self to me, we might still be able to remain as friends, but now…" Rin began to wipe the tears gathering in her eyes with her hand. "… I suggest you to stay away from me. I don't want a playboy as a friend."

Playboy…

… Not a good person…

I widened my eyes in shock and let my hands fall limply to my sides as she stomped away in anger. I did not bother chasing after her; I was too caught up in what she said to do so. I could see several people who looked like Neru and her group of friends approach me, but I didn't care.

"Are you okay? What happened, I heard tons of screaming between you and that freak." I ignored her.

Nobody had ever rejected me like this before.

Nobody had ever hit me before.

**Nobody.**

Why should she an exception?

* * *

That can't be good. Dum, dum, dum... I can tell you that there is more to Rin than you think there is. Rin is afraid of something, and I won't tell what it is until Len gets very close to her. Besides that, I think I wrote this in a rush kinda thingy so it might not be as good as the previous chapter. I had everything planned but unfortunately my execution skill is horrible.

Don't worry, the next chapter will be brighter than this one here. Although we will have an angry Len harassing a mad Rin...

**Insane Hex: **So what now?

**Dotty: **It's the end, that's what. This chapter was short O.O Why'd you make it so short, huh!!!

**Paper: **Don't cry, damn it! I'm weeping for Rin here.

**Dotty: **Len needs some comforting too... Come on, guys, throw him some bananas!

Review, guys! Please review! :D

* * *

Chapter 3: Of loans and sorrow

"You don't scare me! Not at all! Not even when you're so close... If you're trying to get me to fall in love with you, then I'd suggest you to, uh... Try your tricks somewhere! I will never fall in love with you!"

Well, she said that, but...

* * *

Till' next time! (Again)


	3. Of loans and sorrow

A/N: I got Writer's block. I got stuck thinking of what to write in this chapter. That explains the long period of inactivity. That explains the crappy and short chapter here. (Is too focused on my other stories) Presenting to your the first arc of the story! (Yeah I separated the plots into arcs)

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters (Is too lazy to type)

* * *

Chasing Time

Chapter 3: Of loans and sorrow

Rin's POV

* * *

I slammed the door shut immediately and removed my shoes, still thinking about the incident that occurred in school today. It was lucky my parents were never home. If they were home, I would love to see how they would scream at me for my horrible attitude just now. It wasn't my fault I was in a bad mood, though. It was Len's fault for being so… so casual with stuff around here! He was acting as if he didn't care if there was any love between the both of us! He was just trying to have his own fun, and he was making use of me to do that!

If there were anything that pissed me off the most, it would have to be guys that act like some big hotshot. Guys that fool around with girls, and guys that would take advantage of a helpless little girl like _me_. I didn't dislike them; I hated them!

I threw my bag across the couch and literally slammed and connected my foot down with its soft fabric. I admitted I had felt a little disappointed with Len for being such a jerk just now, and yes, I even shed some tears for him! Then I realized that it was not worthwhile to waste my life on him, let alone my precious little emotions. Jerks would always be jerks, no matter how much you cried for over them.

I bounced up and down the couch, not giving a hoot if I would fall and slam my face against the floor, or maybe destroy the couch unknowingly with my foot. I could always get another one, as long as my parents were alive somewhere in this world. I could write to them or email them to send some money over for me to spend. Right now, however, all I needed was some stress-reliever.

"Jerk! He's dumb! I hope he gets dumped by _every_ girl friend he has!" I cursed, my face glowing red from the rage I felt. My blood was practically boiling with my awesome and pure wrath. "… Wait; maybe he has uncountable lots of them! Fine, I hope he has himself some STD's or something! That will teach him not to mess around!"

I urged myself to calm down slowly. My mind was still a little foggy from the anger I have felt, but the cursing and the torturing of my couch made it slightly better now. I could see nothing but black blotches of hatred and red blotches of bloodshed just now. Maybe I should give a call to Miku, and invite her over for a sleepover or something. I should apologize to her for doubting her, too. I even lashed out at her the last time she warned me about Len. Argh.

How could I have not seen _that_ coming? Why was I so stupid?

I hopped down from the couch and landed gracefully and soundlessly on the floor. I eyed the magazines scattered around the table and groaned at how much time I was going to take to arrange them properly. You see, Miku was a complete clean freak, and if she caught me with messy stuff in my house, her eyes would glow red and that was when I would run for my life before I got fried. I could do the arrangement now, since I had nothing better to do.

_Knock. Knock.  
_

Okay, so who might that be now? The possibility of the guest outside being Miku was very high right now. She must have heard about the racket I caused in school, and those weird rumors that transpired this morning. Well, it makes things all the more easier for me. I wouldn't have to go around looking for my phone, and ask her to come all the way here since she was already here.

_Knock. Knock.  
_

I rushed to the door and swung it wide open with one of my arms placed on my chest. I forced a smile on my face even though I knew I wasn't really delighted right now, even with her company.

I almost screamed and toppled over when I saw that it was Neru instead of my lovely green-haired friend.

She was looking at me through lazy half-lidded eyes, one of her hands placed on the gate of my door. Her lips were slightly cracked and dry, and she was still wearing her school uniform, which would only mean one thing: She came all the way here for some serious business. Just to let you know, Neru didn't like wearing her uniform because she thought it made her look unattractive. Therefore, she would always rush home to change when she was going out somewhere.

"Not very happy to see me, are you, Rin?" She drawled, smirking when I gritted my teeth in annoyance at what she had said.

What was she doing in my house, anyway? She wouldn't know where I stayed, unless somebody in our class had told her about my location. I wouldn't tell her. I didn't want to get harassed everyday, thank you.

"Why are you even here? This is my house, for your information," I growled, glaring at her fiercely. She didn't even flinch or cower away in fear. This proved that I was not very good in reprimanding people. "… So, Why are you here in my apartment? I don't remember inviting you over."

"Look, I didn't say I was coming to your lousy apartment, you smug shrimp," Neru sang, shifting a little to the right. "I was going to somebody else's apartment. I was just popping by to let you know. The guy's just behind me, if you want to know who I am referring to."

Out of curiosity, I tilted my head to look at whoever was behind her. My pupils dilated and my arms fell limply to my sides when I saw that familiar blond teenager leaning against the wall behind her, his arms neatly crossed over his chest. I could imagine Neru's joy in seeing my reaction now; she was clearly coming all the way here to declare that Len was hers, and that I should not be touching what was hers.

Len had his eyes lowered, ignoring my ice-piercing glare. I observed him for a moment, waiting to see if he would at least look at me, but gave up after a few minutes of waiting. Neru was still staring at me, a little amused with how I had reacted. I could hear her snicker softly from beside me, and I decided to ignore her. She wasn't worth my attention.

"Look, stop looking at him. He's now officially my target," she leaned forward and whispered in my ears, and I was trying my best not to lose my cool at this moment and hit her or anything near me. I could be very nice if I was calm and collected, but if I get a little angry with somebody, then I'll be like some soul devouring demon.

She didn't know him yet, did she? Well, perhaps Neru would learn a lesson like me after all of this has passed. For now, though, I would just ignore her lame attempts to make me jealous since I wasn't in the first place, anyway, and try my best to outwit her in this mini battle.

"And why on earth did you have to let me know that piece of dumb information?" I asked, raising my brows in a rather curious manner. She snorted, that smug grin of hers already gone, replaced with a thin displeased frown. I was silently basking in the glory of victory.

"Fine. A loser like you wouldn't understand. You're only after nerds," I heard her mutter before walking off to where Len's apartment stood. If she thought that that particular sentence was going to affect me in some way, be it emotional or physical, then she was wrong. Way too wrong, in fact. Nerds were, after all, better than playboys. That was common sense.

I heard foot steps, and I was so caught up in my own imaginary world that I didn't even notice a slender and tall figure standing in front of me, with his body pressed against the gate. I looked up and noticed how near he was actually from me; I could feel his hot breath, and his stable breathing. Once again, I felt myself looking into those lovely pair of sapphire blue eyes.

"Rin," he said, his breath trickling my cheeks. I looked back down to learn that he was actually squatting halfway down to match my height. "I'm just checking if you were alright."

… Jerk.

"Y-Y-You don't scare me! Not at all! Not even when you're so close!" I yelled, watching him blink several times, his mouth shaped into a small 'o' and observing me with amusement. "I-I-If you're trying to get me to fall in love with you, then I'd suggest you to, uh... Try your tricks somewhere! I will never fall in love with you!"

"We'll see," I heard him say before I eventually ignored him and slammed the door violently and forcefully down to its proper position. My cheeks were tinted red from anger, and possibly embarrassment. I really needed some counseling after this. If I didn't get one fast enough, I might break apart. Not that I hadn't broken apart before…

Len reminded me of _him_. Argh.

I retraced my steps back to the couch, and sat down. I grabbed the remote controller lying on the armrest and flipped the television open, surfing through the wide variety of channels available for me to watch. I stopped when I was watching one of those 'Just for gags' episodes, conveniently grabbing a bag of potato chips on the table and ripping the package apart.

I dipped my hands into the junk food and started feasting and munching greedily on them. I couldn't eat when I was in a good mood. I munched on everything when I was fuming with rage, like now. It was time to put on some weight for my skinny ribs, anyway.

I couldn't concentrate on anything right now. I was too angry to even think about anything!

_Ring. Ring._

No. Not now… Not again! Not the phone. It had better not be that Neru calling, or I would probably flare up and stomp up to where she was right now to destroy that cell phone of hers. I stretched my arm and reached for my cell phone lying on top of the large masses of magazines, and pressed on the green button even before I looked at the caller ID.

"Hello and what do you want?" I growled into the phone, hoping that it was just some stupid prank calls. Beats that Neru, anyway. Best if it was Miku.

"You had better get the money ready, kid! We'll be here to collect it tomorrow! If you don't have the money, we'll help ourselves to your house or maybe your furniture!" I blinked and placed the phone closer to my ear, trying to confirm that what I was hearing was right.

After a few minutes of the anonymous' constant yelling in the phone, I decided that I didn't even have a slightest clue to what they were even babbling about, and I gave them a short and sweet response to their nonstop chattering:

"I think you got the wrong number."

There was a long period of silence in which the both of us didn't even speak. I could hear tons of voices from the other side, though, and I was almost sure that they weren't referring or directed to me.

"The record here is right, miss. Your family owes us fifty thousand dollars. Your phone's given here in the list. Unless you're saying I'm blind," A different voice said, this time a little more composed than the last. "… Then I would suggest you not to play dumb and hand the money over by tomorrow, or you'll get ready to live in the streets!"

What in the world was he talking about? I didn't owe him any money! I didn't even borrow fifty thousand dollars from anyone! Why would I borrow that much, when I myself don't earn that much? That would be akin to sending myself to my grave!

"I didn't owe you guys any money! Where did that fifty thousand come from?"

"Look," The voice snarled, a little dark and threatening. "Your parents were the ones who borrowed from us, kid. Your phone is here, so we have the rights to ask you for payment! They didn't hand theirs over to us, so we could only contact you. Now get ready to hand the money over! I'll be at your place tomorrow night."

I heard a click from the phone, and I immediately tossed the phone on the couch.

I clenched my fists, my head bowed in shame, and my eyes narrowed in anger. There were mixed emotions playing in my heart; Sorrow, hurt, hatred, frightened, hatred, hatred…

No, wait. They had to be lying. There were cases of people lying on the phone to get what they wanted, right? For all I know, they might be a bunch of con-men trying to deceive and force me into paying a debt they made up. My parents couldn't have possibly borrowed that large sum of money, then handed MY number to those crooks! They wouldn't leave me with such a huge responsibility…

There were a few ways I could find out about the truth. I could wait for tomorrow to come to clarify my doubts, or I could just give and hand the money to them over… Wait, I could also call my parents to check with them about all of this nonsense. Yeah, that had to be the best way out…

I grabbed my cell phone and smashed the numbers onto the screen, hearing the familiar dialing tone through my flushed ears.

"Hello? Who might this be?" I heard the voice answer. I gasped at the unfamiliarity of the voice, but continued to press for what I wanted to know.

"Mother? Father? Is this you?" Without waiting for an answer, I desperately started shoving them several questions I wanted answered right away. "Did you take a loan? Did you borrow fifty thousand dollars? Did you hand my number to those crooks? Who are they? Why did you get involved with them, and WHY DID YOU BORROW THE MONEY?"

"… I'm sorry sweetie, but you've got the wrong number. Maybe you were referring to the owners of this phone before I bought it from them?" A soft and angelic voice spoke with grace, but I couldn't care much about how they were speaking right now. All I knew was that the one behind the phone weren't my parents right now.

That was all it mattered…

"You… Y-you bought it from t-them?"

"Ahhh… Yes. They said they were desperate for some cash, so they insisted on me buying this phone of theirs. I saw how desperate they looked, and decided to buy it. What's wrong, sweetie? You seem to be in a bit of trouble…"

"… N-Nothing," I forced myself to say, and I could hear some mumblings over the other end of the phone. My arm slid down like it was numb or something, falling to my sides like somebody who got shot in the heart and was falling limply on the floor. I could hear the other end of the person continuing to mutter some stuff I didn't know about, but they fell on deaf ears.

I widened my eyes and clutched my phone harder than necessary. The side of my lips twitched, and my eyes were getting a little sore for staring into the air blankly for too long. I could hear the television's booming loud noise in the background, yet I felt as though I was the only one existing right now, surrounded by nothing but darkness.

Something warm slid down my cheeks. I could feel myself trembling, and my lips shuddering in anger, fear, hurt… _All_ of them. I began to sniff, letting my phone and several droplets of sweat slip onto the floor. What was happening to me right now?

The warm thing that had been sliding down my cheeks intensified, and soon I found myself to be on my knees, my hands clinging tightly on to the edge of the couch. I found it difficult to breathe for once, like the air was limited. I didn't want to breathe for once. I didn't care, either.

I wiped my eyes with one of my hands, and lifted it up to look onto the moisture on it.

They were… _Tears_…

I gave in to sorrow and began sobbing loudly, my voice overwhelming that of the television's. The tears came down faster and faster until I could no longer count and catch them. A wet puddle of water was starting to form on my uniform, yet I didn't care.

… How was I going to get fifty thousand dollars in _a_ day?

* * *

A/N: Writer's block, I'm doomed! I took _two months_ to update this fic, so I won't know how long I will take to update the next chapter... Besides, I liked my other stories more -is biased- :X

Blahblahblah, **please review** even though this sucked, and sure, you can give me a few suggestions on how I could extinguish Writer's block!

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